"I've begun to consider nurturing his trust in you as well."
Kurogiri did his best to not freeze up when Sensei said that, but the League's leader had spent enough time with the bartender to notice the reaction.
"Is that not something you wish for, Kurogiri? If you do not have any desire to facilitate this relationship I will rescind the offer. After all, it can be tiring to spend time with a child as needy as Midoriya. Once he latches onto you, he will do everything he can to hang on. It's the desperation of the emotionally neglected at its finest."
Immediately, Kurogiri responded. "I will support whichever option you consider to be the most prudent."
The other villain waved his hand. "I have told you many times before that I have no desire to stifle your opinions. Believe it or not, I do believe that you can provide insightful commentary on my plans. I understand that you have this... unnecessary insistence on being courteous, but when I ask for your opinion, I expect your opinion."
"...If you wish to have Midoriya rely on me for emotional support, I will do so. He may have a profound connection with Shigaraki Tomura, but I have yet to see Midoriya treated as more than an amusement for him. He sees that boy as a possession more than a person, which is something that Midoriya accepts wholeheartedly. However, that does not make it a healthy relationship." Kurogiri paused, breathing in deeply. "If you wish to encourage him to open up to me more, I will accept that charge. After all, it will definitely speed up his development."
Sensei smiled. "Indeed. I've spent a long time now constructing a framework that his psyche is finally settling into. Given a little more time, he will undoubtedly become the ideal underling for our League of Villains. By letting him rely on you for emotional understanding, he will isolate himself further from the outside world, and we will be able to change his persona much more drastically as he becomes more dependent on us for support. Like a leech, he will ferverously draw the blood from us and incorporate our will into himself."
Kurogiri had nothing to add to what All for One has said.
"If you have no concerns to bring to me, you may leave." Sensei turned to his computer, focusing on it as he placed his fingers on the braille keyboard. Kurogiri silently opened a portal and disappeared through it.
"Ah, Midoriya." Kurogiri greeted as the boy entered the bar. "You've arrived early."
Izuku nodded slowly, looking around. He had refrained from speaking unless it was necessary, no doubt as a result of the Knuckleduster incident that occurred just a few days prior. Kurogiri had been patient with him, doing his best not to force more out of the young child than was necessary. The bartender finished wiping down the countertop, noticing that Izuku had not moved from his spot by the door.
"Is something bothering you?"
He opened his mouth, leaving his jaw hanging for just a moment as he formulated the words.
"...I want to... I w-want to see it."
Kurogiri paused, placing the towel in his hands into a small crumpled lump on the bar. Eventually, he replied.
"I assume you're speaking about... Are you sure you wish to look, Midoriya?"
He fiddled with his hands, but he didn't tell him that he wanted to take his words back.
The bartender sighed, before walking over to the boy and leading him by the hand to the back door. He slid the door open, reaching over to flick a light switch on the side of the doorframe. Brightness flooded the room, illuminating rows upon rows of stacked boxes and miscellaneous items.
Izuku let go of Kurogiri's hand, before walking to a specific part of the room. The surrounding boxes had been organized with care and a particularity that only Kurogiri had. However, that spot was much more than just a storage place to the boy. The scratches etched into the concrete floor and the slightly discolored splotches were proof of that. The older villain walked slowly to where Izuku was, the tapping of his dress shoes echoing loudly behind him.
"You c-can't fit a pres-pressure washer in here." The boy noted.
Kurogiri said nothing.
"That... Th-that means that y-you would have needed to... to scrub it by ha-hand."
"That is something you don't need to worry about, Midoriya."
Izuku shook his head. "No. You cleaned it so ha-hard that it's cle-cleaner than the re-rest of the floor... I'm s-sorry."
"There's no need to apologize. I simply did what was necessary. That's what you did, right? If you didn't do anything, there would have been a problem for Shigaraki and I. You protected us."
Izuku knelt down, rubbing the tips of his fingers on the floor. It only exacerbated the hole threatening to rip through his stomach, but he felt like it was something he needed to do.
His demeanor worsened, but his shaky voice had been replaced with a weaker, less stuttery tone. "I did this. This was the second time I killed someone."
Kurogiri didn't respond.
"I was scared to enter this room. Every time I looked at the door I was convinced that the body was still there. Tomura... he got rid of it, didn't he?"
"While we were out getting you spare clothes, he disposed of the... debris. I simply cleaned up what was left over and reorganized the supplies."
Izuku pushed himself back to his feet, turning to look at the misty man. "I was snooping around in your room at the time. I'm sorry."
"Midoriya, you do not need to apolo-"
"No, I do. When I looked through your drawers, you only had spare outfits. The only exception was your nightstand. It had empty notebooks with my name on them... Why?"
The bartender's voice caught in his throat for just a moment, before he responded. "Well, you run through them quickly. I simply kept a few spares just in case you ran out of writing material."
"No, I... I know that. Why don't you have anything for you?"
"The truth is... I'm not a man of many desires. Everything that I could want, I already have. So I do not have a need to keep possessions like those for myself."
"Oh. Sensei likes to do that. I kind of feel the same. After all, he's letting my stay by Brother's side. Is... Is taking care of Tomura something that you wished for, Kurogiri?"
"To be honest, Midoriya... yes. But it isn't just about him."
Izuku tilted his head. "Is the bar also something you liked? I know you take pride in maintaining it."
Kurogiri nodded. "It was a dream of mine when I was younger. I may not get many customers, but I cherish this abode greatly. It's another wish of mine that Sensei granted."
Izuku realized that he had never asked much about the bartender himself during the few years that they had known each other. Kurogiri had always been somewhat reserved, saying nothing about his life before Izuku arrived and only having in-depth conversations when the boy had some form of crisis. He felt a pang of guilt for not getting to know the older villain better, after all he had done for him. He felt the urge to continue this small talk about what Kurogiri likes, in an effort to show both himself and the man in front of him that he wants to be friendlier with him.
"I wonder what else..." He scanned the back room, looking around for something else that could be something Kurogiri would like. The bartender was looking right at him, expectantly. He couldn't find any item that stood out, but the gaze trained at him made him feel like he was missing an obvious answer. Eventually, the gears clicked in his head.
"Oh! Sensei, of course. He is really kind, after all. I bet you like spending time with him, right?"
Kurogiri seemed to deflate for just a moment, before replying. "Yes, he definitely is an important part of my life. I definitely would not be where I am without his help."
Both of them heard the sound of stairs creaking from the other room. "It appears that Shigaraki has gotten bored. Would you like to join him, Midoriya?"
"Yeah... that sounds nice." A small smile creeped up on the corners of his mouth as he exited the room. Kurogiri sighed.
"Midoriya has recovered, for the most part." A voice emanating from a speaker in the back room stated.
"Yes, that is the case." Kurogiri responded.
"You told him that you would begin teaching him how to kill effectively during combat training. Your deadline for creating a curriculum is fast approaching; he will resume training tomorrow."
"I am aware, Sensei. I have finished preparations."
"That is good to hear. With these lessons, he will be a more than viable asset in the field."
Kurogiri didn't respond, but the silence was more than enough to convey what the man was thinking.
"Kurogiri, surely you know he cannot stay if he is not a useful tool."
"I understand. I will train him to the best of my abilities."
"I expect nothing less of you. You've noticed it too, right? He's already changing."
"Yes, his nerves have calmed significantly. But there is much we have to teach him. The boy will learn... there is no other path for him but this one, now."
The next day Kurogiri ushered Izuku away from the bar. The bartender's request was short and courteous, even more than usual. The boy didn't comment on the tense air that stagnated between them. He knew why the villain looked uncomfortable, and to be quite frank he felt the exact same. The two stepped through a warp gate, and entered a place Izuku didn't expect.
A kitchen. Kurogiri had taken him to the back of a restaurant.
"We are going to switch to 'real life' environments from now on." He explained. "It would be unwise to train you in only a warehouse."
Izuku could understand the logic behind the change of location. The older man continued.
"Now, I promised I would teach you to fight with a lethal edge to your moves. The truth is that despite my technique, I am rather weak. If one were to judge our physical strength, I would hazard a guess to say we would be considered equals, despite the fact I am much older than you. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, however. As we are relatively equal in strength, it means that we can train against one another as if we were on equal footing. With that in mind, I will not use quirks of any kind during today's training."
"Then what will we be doing?"
"This will be a simple exercise." Kurogiri replied, producing a knife from inside his vest and handing it to the boy. "You will exit this room. When you re-enter, you will do everything you can to stab me with that knife."
Izuku nearly dropped the weapon the moment the bartender uttered that phrase.
"Wha- You just expect me to-?!"
The man held up his hand. "You mustn't worry about that. I gave you your task. We will not leave until you have managed to make a clean cut with your weapon. I suggest you start now if you do not wish to get back to your mother late."
The boy gritted his teeth, before sighing and walking out the kitchen doors. He gazed at the room before him. It was a large dining room, one he didn't recognize. The entrance was boarded over, along with the windows. However, none of the chairs or tables were dusty. Izuku guessed that the place had just recently shut down, and whoever ran the place didn't bother to take any of the furniture with them when they left.
He realized he was getting lost in his thoughts. He shook his head, clearing his mind as he focused on his task. He gulped, gripping the knife tightly as he approached the kitchen doors, making sure to stay out of the view of the large window that provided a view in and out of the room Kurogiri was in. He decided a surprise attack would be best. He held his breath as he burst through the door...
And was immediately struck in the face with a wooden knife rack. Izuku reared back, clutching his nose as he vaguely heard the tapping of dress shoes rush from the other side of the room towards him. By the time Izuku's vision cleared up, he realized he could feel something sharp press into him.
Kurogiri pressed the knife into the soft flesh of the boy's neck, but made sure to keep a steady hold on the blade so that he wouldn't accidentally cut him. Izuku froze in place, staring into the hard gaze of the bartender.
"You lose." He hissed. Kurogiri lowered the knife to his side. "If you don't think you can take someone head on, the most effective method to deal with them is to throw something in their face and close the distance. Even if they're not hurt they are distracted enough that you have a few seconds to make your move."
Izuku opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly found a hand firmly pressed over his lips.
"The dead do not speak, Midoriya. Now leave the room; we will begin a second time."
A dejected gaze flashed across the boy's face. Kurogiri instinctively loosened his grip, before letting go and moving away from the green-haired kid. Izuku bowed his head, pushing the door open and vanishing into the dark dining hall.
The majority of the training session consisted of repeated humiliation and defeat. He couldn't count the number of bruises that blossomed along his body as a result of the grueling practice. He had a number of items thrown at him, but even when he managed to dodge the incoming projectiles Kurogiri had something more up his sleeve. He used a dining cart and slammed the boy against the wall. He had coated the floor in cooking oil, causing Izuku to slip and fall the moment he ran after Kurogiri.
There was even a time that Kurogiri didn't even wait for Izuku to enter. Once he had approached the door, he was sent sprawling to the ground as the bartender kicked it into the boy. Before he could recover he was dragged into the kitchen and he felt the familiar sensation of Kurogiri's knife pressed against his neck.
"Don't always expect your enemy to be patiently waiting for you. If they know that you're there, they won't give you the opportunity to strike first. Now get up and exit the kitchen."
Izuku grunted in frustration. He had been doing this for at least a few hours, and despite the simplicity of his trainer's instructions, he had not even gotten close to succeeding.
He pulled a chair out from under one of the tables and sat down. He couldn't expect to win if he continued trying the same tired old strategies, especially since they were taught to him by the same person he was fighting. The bartender knew exactly what was going through the boy's head, and took advantage of it. Kurogiri knew how to play dirty-
Everything clicked into place with that last thought. Of course he would play dirty. Kurogiri wasn't interested in long, drawn out fighting matches. When he aims to kill, he tries to end the fight as quickly as possible and uses any method to do just that. That's what the bartender was trying to teach him; keep fights short and do anything to make sure that you are the one who ends up on top.
Izuku got up, looking around the dining room. His eyes settled on the door leading outside. He turned the lock on the door, and pushed on it lightly. Despite the fact that the door was boarded over, the hinges were unaffected, which allowed him to quickly and quietly slip out.
The streets were completely empty, save for a few lit signs that advertised what appeared to be a run down host club and a dingy pachinko parlor. It was pretty dark outside, and once he realized it Izuku winced as he imagined the verbal barrage he would have to endure when he made it back home. He returned his focus to the restaurant. It was smaller than the surrounding buildings, only about three stories up. The top two floors looked to be abandoned, going by the lack of light and dust that clouded the windows up.
He walked over to the side of the building, looking down an alleyway. No one was there. His gaze caught something that piqued his interest. There was a fire escape, and snaking up beside it...
Izuku smiled. He had found his way in.
Kurogiri waited patiently for Izuku to re-enter the door once more. He heard a chair move a few minutes ago, which he guessed meant that Izuku had begun ruminating over how exactly he would approach the situation at hand.
He glanced down at his watch. It had been ten minutes since Izuku had last made an attempt to land a hit on the bartender. He briefly felt the urge to walk out and check on the boy, but he caught himself and chased the thoughts out of his head as quickly as they came. He glanced out the window on the door, but he could not see anything of note. Izuku was still out of sight.
He had a new trap set up for the boy, and fully expected it to have similar results to the last seventy-six attempts the boy had made. He wasn't surprised at Izuku's tenacity, but tenacity doesn't always result in what one desires. As long as Kurogiri stayed one step ahead of the villain in training, he would never have to worry about losing against him.
The ventilation shafts had creaked momentarily, which the bartender reasoned was likely the result of the cold night air causing the thin metal ducts to contract. It happened at his bar quite often.
Kurogiri looked down at his watch. Another ten minutes had passed. He glanced over at his trap once more. He had rigged a fire extinguisher to spray on the boy the moment he walked through the door, which would give him ample time to ambush the kid while he struggled to reorient himself and clean his eyes of the white powder. After that he would probably call it quits on the training session, since it was getting late. If they stayed any longer, then his mother would throw a fit and likely cause their training to be delayed-
His attention snapped back to reality as he heard the screeching of metal above him. He looked up to see the vent he was under kicked open, Izuku falling from the ceiling with his knife held up over him. Kurogiri had no time to react as the boy landed on him, sending him crashing to the ground as the knife sank neatly into his shoulder.
Both of them had frozen where they were, Kurogiri lying on the ground, facing upwards, while Izuku was on top of him, his knees sinking painfully into the man's stomach. Neither of them spoke, the only thing audible being the wheezes of the two villains. Both of them had the wind knocked out of him.
After a while, Izuku choked out, "I... win."
Kurogiri gently pushed him off of his body, before sitting up. "That... you did... Midorya... Congratulations."
Eventually, the pain in his chest had subsided, but the bartender still found it difficult to breathe. "Once I catch my breath, we will leave and Sensei will heal you. You can go home after that."
"What about you? You've-" He gasped as his eyes widened. "I'm so sorry! I just-"
Kurogiri raised his hand to silence the boy, as his hand grasped the hilt of the knife. He grunted as he pulled it out. "Don't apologize. You did exactly what was asked of you, Midoriya. This exercise was meant to teach you to strategize and use your resources effectively."
"But... you need to get healed!"
The bartender held the knife out sideways, placing his other hand against the tip. He slowly applied pressure, and Izuku watched in horror as the blade disappeared into the misty hand-
Wait, no. It was subtle, but the boy saw that the blade wasn't actually going into the man's hand. It was slowly retracting into the pommel of the dagger. It was a fake knife with a spring loaded blade.
"I do not require any medical assistance. I was never in any danger." Kurogiri explained. "The blade guard has a little adhesive on it, so it sticks when you stab it."
Izuku sighed in relief. "You could have told me that."
Kurogiri hummed in response.
Over the next few minutes, Izuku had been whisked away to Sensei's quarters, healed, and sent home by Kurogiri. Like always, he made sure the portal he opened up was hidden from the public before sending the fourteen year old boy through. When the portal closed, all that was left in the room was Kurogiri and Sensei.
"How did his training go?" Sensei asked.
"Exceptionally well. He took longer than expected to catch me off guard, however when he finally had the opportunity he didn't hesitate to attack, despite the fact that he thought that the blade was real."
"That is promising. It appears that his morals are steadily changing to something that is suitable for Shigaraki Tomura's right hand man. Now, you say that he didn't hesitate to attack, but... he didn't stab you anywhere vital, did he?"
Kurogiri paused. "No, Sensei... he struck me in the shoulder. If it were a real weapon, I might have had to worry about possibly losing some function in my arm."
"But it wouldn't have killed you."
"...No, Sensei."
Neither of them spoke for a while, the sound of the ventilator pumping air into All for One's lungs via the tube in his throat filling in the silent gap.
"That is acceptable for now. Well... it may be acceptable to leave it at that. After all, we don't want to send him the wrong messages. He is supposed to trust you, and I doubt normalizing the performance of lethal violence on you will help. It would be a shame if these actions led to his distrust in you. Now, if there isn't anything else you would like to add, you may leave."
The villain materialized back in his bar. He didn't see Tomura around, and assumed that the young adult had gotten bored and was wondering around the city.
He felt the urge to return to his familiar position behind the bar and polish some glasses. He did just that, choosing a snifter and rubbing the fragile cup with a clean, soft, white towel. He mindlessly rubbed it for a few seconds, before he paused.
He realized his hands were trembling. Despite the fact he knew that no one was there with him, he glanced around the bar to make sure that he was alone. When he confirmed what he already knew, he placed the glass firmly onto the countertop, and hastily dropped the towel in a heap next to it. He sighed loudly before placing both hands on the surface in front of him, pressing his weight into his arms. He stayed like that for a few minutes before he felt like he could collect himself and resume his activities.
He tried once more to polish the glass, but his hands refused to remain still. After a while, he gave up trying to clean the snifter. He calmly placed it back on its shelf under the countertop before he retired to his room upstairs and tried to sleep. It never came to him, of course.
Over the next few weeks, Kurogiri and Izuku fell into the new schedule they had made for themselves. The bartender's lessons became much more in-depth. Where the boy has once learned how to adapt to new situations for self-defense, the new curriculum gravitated towards where to strike. Within the span of a few months, Izuku could recite and point out the body's weak spots for both sharp weapons and blunt objects. He learned how to tilt the situation into his favor, like Kurogiri showed in his initial lesson. The course carried a much more... savage tone to it. Fights were now quick, bloody, and lasted less than a few minutes. Visiting Sensei after training to heal broken noses and sprained joints were now a common occurrence.
The boy's progress was not lost on the blind leader of the League. It was only a matter of time before he called Kurogiri into his domain, and requested that he bring Izuku immediately. The bartender watched silently as Sensei extended his hand towards the boy, filling his ears with praise and promises of grandeur. He told him that he was going to give young Midoriya the one thing kept from him; a quirk, a power he could call his own. When he denied the offer given to him, All for One took it in stride and calmly ordered Kurogiri to send the boy back to school. A portal was opened and Izuku was once again on his way to his normal life.
Kurogiri quietly waited, expecting some form of commentary from the much older villain in the room. Minutes had passed, before he shook his head and opened a portal out of the room.
"You felt relieved." Sensei bluntly stated, not looking at the bartender.
He immediately closed the warp gate.
"Pardon?"
"When Izuku denied my proposal, you were relieved."
"You were peering into my mind, weren't you?"
Sensei smirked. "You don't exactly have a face, and you don't like to communicate. What else am I supposed to do?"
He sighed. "What I feel is irrelevant. If you were in there you would know that I will still follow your orders. My emotions have no bearing on this-"
Sensei turned his head, his nonexistent eyes boring holes into the other man. "Kurogiri, you are not going to reassure your way out of this conversation. Why were you relieved?"
Silence passed between them.
"Will I really have to answer that question for you?"
The bartender refused to speak.
"Fine," He sighed, "if insist on avoiding this conversation, I will respect your may leave."
Sensei did not lie when he noted Kurogiri's reaction, and Kurogiri knew that well. The two had known each other for decades, and they had become inexorably aware of how each other would react to certain situations. The bartender truly doubted that his superior needed his quirk to know how he would feel about Izuku's offer.
And when that boy came back the same day, and asked to take up the offer... Kurogiri knew that Sensei would be able to sense the horror filling the pit of his stomach without the aid of his special abilities. Nevertheless, he honored the boy's wishes, and opened a portal to Sensei's hideout.
When the portal closed, all that was left behind was the bartender and the two bottles filled with what remained of the sludge villain that Izuku had stolen from All Might.
"So..." The imprisoned villain trailed off. "...I fucked up hard, didn't I?"
"Indeed, you have." Kurogiri smoothly replied. He glanced at the disembodied eyes, staring nervously back. "I take it you are unable to return to a human form?"
"Yeah... I've been stuck like this for a while. Only knew I could take over other people when I got mad at a brat and shoved myself up his nose in middle school." He chuckled.
"Interesting. Is that why you assaulted Midoriya earlier, then?"
"That's his name? Well... yeah, I was on the run from the cops, and All Might happened to show up... Look, I was scared, alright? And then here was this quirkless kid who didn't see me, so I just... you know, tried to take him over! I wasn't aware he was working with you guys, I swear! If I did then I would have just found some other person!"
"Is that so? Well, I would consider it an absolute shame that you didn't do just that."
"Look, you said the boy gets to say what happens to me, right?! He said I should work for you guys! I have no problem doing that! I'll do anything, no questions asked!"
"I hope you would." Kurogiri leaned in close to the bottle. His black, foggy visage covered the entirety of the bottles, blocking out all light except for that emitted by his eyes. "As I see it, if you didn't, then I would have no other choice but to send you to the Mariana Trench, and I can assure you that the pain of having to clean up the seawater left behind would pale in comparison to the feeling of being crushed to death at the bottom of the ocean."
The sludge villian's floating eyes retracted to the center of the bottle. "Alright, alright! I get it! I said I'll do whatever you want!"
The sludge villain sighed in relief as Kurogiri pulled back. The bartender then reached underneath the bar and produced a disposable cell phone.
"This is a waterproof device that contains a GPS tracking chip. As such, there should be no scenario in which you couldn't pick up the phone when I call you. If it breaks, or you lose it, you are to return here immediately and receive a new one. Should you refuse to pick up, you will be considered a rogue asset and we will have no choice but to dispose of you, should we find you."
"But what if you call after I lose it? Not like I wouldn't be on the way here to get a new one, but it takes time to get here."
"My, it would be quite a shame if that happened, wouldn't you think?" Kurogiri stared blankly back at the new recruit in front of him."It would be in your best interest to assure that you don't lose it in the first place."
The sludge villain didn't respond.
Kurogiri picked up the bottles, unscrewed the lid, and poured the contents onto the bar's floor. The liquid quickly expanded and coalesced, giving rise to a mound of slime that vaguely resembled a humanoid. The bartender noted that despite news feeds showing the villain being capable of towering over normal sized humans, he appeared to take special care in making sure that he was below the height of the other villain in the room. Kurogiri grabbed the phone and held it out to the mass of sludge, which slowly extended a nodule from his body to gingerly pick up the phone and encase it inside his body.
"Now, leave." Kurogiri calmly commanded. "I will notify you when you have a task to fulfill. I suggest that you lay low for the time being."
The slime mound did something that vaguely resembled a silent nod and quickly exited the bar. The misty man sighed as he saw the trail of slime the new recruit left behind. He went to the back, and came back with a bucket of water and a mop, making quick work of the detritus left behind by the villain.
Just as he finished, Sensei's monitor buzzed to life.
"Are you busy, Kurogiri?"
"No, Sensei." He responded. "I'm just cleaning up the mess someone left behind."
"I see. When you finish up, please come and collect Midoriya. The process has left him unconscious."
Before Kurogiri could respond, the feed cut. With a final swipe of the mop, he placed the cleaning instrument back in the bucket before opening a warp gate and leaving for Sensei's hideout.
When he arrived, he was greeted with the sight of Midoriya face up on the ground, eyes closed as the doctor responsible for maintaining All for One was examining him. Kurogiri wasn't sure what to say at the moment, and thus decided to say nothing at all.
The doctor pulled Izuku's eyelids up, flashing a light into his eyes. His pupils were extremely dilated, and the light produced no change.
"Hmm, he definitely has mydriasis." The doctor calmy noted. "I assume if he pulls through, then it will go away, but whether or not he can withstand the transfer is still up in the air. If he's strong enough, then he'll definitely have the killer combination of quirks."
"Quirks?" Kurogiri echoed. "You gave him more than one quirk?"
Sensei hummed in response. "I was certain that he could withstand it. It would save us a bit of time if we did it all at once."
"And if he can't withstand the mental stress?"
"Well, it would be quite a shame if that happened, wouldn't you think?" Sensei smirked. He cleared his throat, before addressing the doctor. "Are you finished with the examination?"
"I've done all I can without bringing any special equipment." He stood up. "I cannot say whether or not he will make it."
"That's a shame, but we can hazard a guess within a few hours if he has not recovered in that time. You may leave." Sensei waved his hand, and the doctor silently teleported away in a mass of black goo.
Kurogiri's eyes remained affixed to the boy on the floor. Sensei spoke up.
"Come now, Kurogiri. If I wasn't sure he could withstand it, I wouldn't have bothered bestowing quirks upon him."
A moment of silence passed between the two of them.
"Of course, that being said, I might have been a little more considerate of the boy if a certain someone had voiced their concerns of the boy's mental state before I had begun."
The bartender's eyes snapped to the older villain. "Are you attempting to put the burden of this onto me, Sensei?"
"Of course not! I simply want to reiterate that if you have concerns, that you should come to me about them! After all, I simply had no idea that you were this worried that Midoriya would not make it through the quirk transfer."
"Then please allow me to voice my opinions, Sensei. I do not appreciate your sarcasm and this was completely uncalled for."
"Are you angry, Kurogiri? Do you resent me for the unnecessary harm I put onto the boy?"
"I..." The bartender paused. He had felt a simmering rage bubble through his form right up to the point that Sensei had directly asked him about it. But... the moment he thought about it, the more he felt that feeling dissipate into nothingness. All for One was testing him, yet again.
"I had, but... I don't know anymore."
Sensei chuckled at the admission. "Well, as much as I would like to continue this conversation, the fact remains that there is still an unconscious fourteen year old child on my floor that you should be taking care of. I will leave you and the boy be for now."
Kurogiri couldn't think of any suitable response. He took zuku and left without another word.
He watched over him for two hours and twenty three minutes, before his eyes fluttered open and the bartender welcomed him back into the world of villainy.
Kurogiri was incredulous of the boy's costume request when he finally revealed what he wanted. Not because it was overly complicated, no, but because it was utterly and completely... simple.
'Black hoodie with a special cloth that can cover the face.'
He looked at the paper, then back to the boy sipping milk in one of the booths. Even Shigaraki had something a little more creative; and while he knew Izuku wasn't one for excessive style, he surely wanted to express himself a little more, right?
Shigaraki walked through the door right as Kurogiri voiced his opinion.
"Midoriya, are you sure this is what you want?"
The young adult villain sighed, leaning over the counter. "What's the issue now? Still can't decide what he wants to look like?"
"No, the opposite, actually. He gave me the request and it's rather... bare? Lackluster?"
After hearing the words, the green-haired kid curled up as he quickly pulled out his game system and drowned himself in the tiny pixelated screen. Tomura shook his head, grabbing the small scrap of paper from Kurogiri's hands and reading over the single line.
"Talk about going on an eco-round... This is it?" For emphasis, he flipped the paper over, as if to see if there was a hidden request on the other side.
He looked back at the boy desperately trying to avert his gaze from the two other villains staring at him. "Oi!" He barked, causing Izuku to startle. "Get over here, we need to talk."
The kid shuffled slowly over to the bar and took a seat.
"Is this some kind of joke? Why do you just want a hoodie?!"
Izuku flinched. "No! It's not... it's not a joke. I just thought, well... I'm going to be doing mostly stealthy stuff, right? So I can't have too much on my body, and I need to be able to move in and out of the public eye without being noticeable." He fiddled with his fingers nervously. "So I can just wear a hoodie... but if they see my face it might become a problem, so I decided I should get some sort of face covering, and if it's built into the hoodie it would be... really... convenient..."
Izuku trailed off, looking back and forth between the two people staring at him. "I'm muttering again, aren't I? I'm sorry, I'll stop-"
"Keep going." Tomura commanded.
"O-okay." Izuku weakly replied. "I can't have any substantial marks or costumes if I want to blend in, so it needs to be as generic as possible... like me. It'll make it easier to use Obfuscate if others don't know who I am and are already trying to filter me out... And also... I can't make a really intimidating or memorable costume, because... I don't want to take anyone's attention off of you, brother... you need the spotlight more than I do, you're the leader..."
Izuku stopped speaking afterwards, opting to just scratch his head nervously. Tomura broke out into a large grin, and Kurogiri... Izuku couldn't tell what expression the man had.
The leader of the League of Villains broke out into a wheezing, hideous laughter. "That's amazing, Izuku! You were so concerned about outshining me that you skimped out on your costume! You're the best follower anyone could wish for!"
At the praise the man gave him, Izuku visibly relaxed and broke a small smile.
"Thanks, Brother..."
"...But I can't have an important party member buy low ranking armor. If you die on me I can't replace you." Shigaraki placed the paper on the table and grabbed a nearby pencil, making sure to keep his pinky off the writing utensil. "I'm going to see what material we can get that will be lightweight and durable. I'm sure we can make some upgrade to the hood and veil, too. And you're not just getting one hoodie, we'll get a few in different colors so you can change it up to avoid suspicion. After all, you're basically a rogue now, and disguises are-"
His voice caught in his throat as he looked up. Whatever clicked in his mind distracted him enough that he lowered his pinky, dissolving the pencil in his hand. He quickly snapped his head to the boy next to him.
"Rogue..." He smiled even wider this time, the cracked skin on his lips stretched to the point of breaking open, making a bloody cheshire grin towards the boy. "Rogue! You can slip past enemies, steal in plain sight, disguise youself... kill without being seen... You're the perfect Rogue!"
Izuku looked as if he was stuck between wanting to retreat from the visage before him and wanting to rush forward and clean the blood that was trailing down his mentor's teeth and lips with a napkin.
"Brother, I don't-"
"You're Rogue! That's who you should be, Izuku!"
"My villain name... Rogue..." He looked down, contemplating it for a moment. He shook his head, bringing it back up with a glowing smile on his face. "If you think it's the perfect name for me, then it has to be!"
Tomura looked back at the paper. "I broke the pencil..." He started scratching at his neck. "...I'll just remember what I didn't write. I'm taking this to Giran right now, Kurogiri."
"As you wish, Shigaraki." Kurogiri replied. The other adult jumped out of his seat, hastily stuffed the paper into his jeans, and exited the bar. The bartender turned towards Izuku, stating "He appears to be quite excited."
"Mmhmm!" Izuku chirped. He jumped down from the bar stool and sat back at his booth, where he left his glass of milk.
"It appears that things are moving at a faster pace, Midoriya." Sensei's monitor crackled to life. "Would you mind asking your mother if you may spend the night?"
"What would the purpose of doing that be, Sensei?" Kurogiri asked as Izuku pulled out his phone.
"Strike the iron while it's hot, as they say. If Midoriya has a costume, then it means that he is more than capable of going out into the field and doing some work for us."
"But the costumes are not even made, let alone broken in. Why should we rush-"
Sensei held up his hand. "Far be it from me to force someone into a situation they are ill-prepared for. I am simply going to have Midoriya activate his quirk while walking the streets and grab at least 10 wallets of passerbys. At least one of them must be an off-duty hero or police officer. A simple task, and one with relatively low risk."
"My mom said it's okay, Sensei." Izuku called out.
"That is perfect. Do you believe you are up to the task?"
"Well, I've only practiced using it for a few weeks, but I can maintain Obfuscate pretty well now. It shouldn't be hard for me to do that."
"Then it is settled; consider this your trial run, not your debut. Should you succeed, we'll be much closer in Shigaraki's quest to dethrone All Might-"
Sensei immediately quieted as he witnessed Izuku's eyes light up in rage as he chucked his half full glass of milk at the monitor. It shattered against the wall above the screen, causing milk to drip down and cover the camera lens.
"That is an interesting response." Sensei calmly noted.
After a few seconds of heavy and erratic breathing, Izuku seemed to regain some semblance of composure.
"O-oh... Did I ju-just... I'm sorry! I don't know wha-what came over me!"
After a few seconds of silence, the old mastermind replied. "Do not fret, Midoriya. All is forgiven. You appear to be quite exhausted, might I suggest that you rest upstairs while Kurogiri cleans up the mess?"
"N-no, I should really be th-the one cle-cleaning up..."
"Nonsense. That is part of Kurogiri's job. Go rest up, Midoriya, you have a long night ahead of you."
"O-okay." He quietly slumped out of his seat and slunk up the stairs.
Kurogiri immediately went into the back room and closed the door. As he did, the monitor there flared to life, revealing the blank face of All for One.
The bartender was the first to speak. "That behavior... I hope that wasn't intentional on your part."
"No, it was not." Sensei replied. "This may be a side effect of imbuing him with a quirk."
"Is it a side effect of putting one into him, or is it a side effect of forcing two on him at one time?" Kurogiri asked.
"You may drop the accusatory tone. I do not know the answer to that question."
"You understand that his entry into Yuuei will become much more... complicated... as a result of this behavioral shift? If he grows violent at the mention of All Might, how should we expect him to maintain his composure when he is actively around the man?"
Sensei sighed, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "I will attempt to temper his responses to this stimulus while I help train his quirks. I may not be able to remove the reactions completely, but they should be much more... manageable before he must leave. It would be a pain if he tried to attack him in the middle of the school grounds."
"I agree. Do you intend to do this with quirks?"
"No. Midoriya is highly suggestible, I will attempt to do this via behavioral therapy. Does that assuage your worries?"
"To be quite honest... no, they do not. But I will trust you with this task, Sensei."
"That is good. I suggest you hurry up and grab your cleaning supplies before the milk begins seeping into the floor. It is made of a very delicate wood and I assume you would like to avoid replacing it."
Most days in the bar were actually quite boring. In the moments where everyone happened to be there, most had their small, preordained spaces in which they busied themselves. When Dabi wasn't outside being Stain's perfect little acolyte, he would spend his time lazed out in one of the booths, picking at his staples. Magne was busy texting her friend while looking through pictures of another bank she intended to rob with the sludge villain. Spinner was, of course, watching the video of Stain on the streets of Hosu as he was arrested. Twice was having a conversation with himself, which was starting to get more than a little heated.
Toga was the only one who seemed to be genuinely happy out of all of them, staring around the bar and humming to herself as she swung her feet around. Her eyes settled upon Tomura and Rogue, who were predictably playing games together. This time, they were playing some old racing game with floating cars, which she couldn't quite name because it was well beyond her time. Rogue was clearly in the lead, but at the last minute he ended up getting overtaken by the older villain. Toga considered pointing out that Rogue let go of the gas button right at the end, but instead opted to simply giggle at the outcome.
Kurogiri was bent over, reaching under the bar for something. After a moment, he silently straightened himself out and turned around to the bar supplies in the back. He looked over the bottles, then opened the cabinets and gazed at the glasses inside. He sighed.
"If I may have your attention, ladies and gentlemen."
Dabi tilted his head back, clicking his tongue. "What do you want?"
"It appears that someone has run off with some of my property."
Everyone froze, staring at each other.
"I am currently missing a bottle of vermouth, gin, champagne, and bourbon. In addition, I am missing a shaker, a measuring jigger, a barspoon, a ball spring, three coupe glasses, and, curiously enough, four eggs."
Dabi stood up, waving his hands as he left the bar. "This has nothing to do with me. I don't drink. Have fun sorting out which of these idiots did it."
Kurogiri paused, before resuming. "Now, if for whatever reason you believe I have not lived up to your standards in mixed drinks, I sincerely apologize. However, that does not mean that you are allowed to abscond with my equipment. I ask that you return them immediately, otherwise we may have an altercation that I guarantee you will regret."
No one spoke. Kurogiri began expanding his body slowly, its presence encompassing the bar and creeping towards the group of villains.
"Very well, then. I ask that you all leave, save for Shigaraki and Rogue. Please return tomorrow if you wish."
Everyone quickly filed out the door. The moment it closed, the mist began dispersing. Kurogiri strode from behind the counter, over to the monitor which Sensei always watched. He lightly tapped his foot, something that seemed rather uncharacteristic of the man.
"Please do not give me that look," Sensei spoke through the crackling speakers. "I was just made aware of this incident by your spectacle just now."
"Am I to assume that the one time you have your gaze averted from this bar that someone ran off with a large amount of my equipment?"
"Kurogiri, I can't be your security system all the time. Besides, you have plenty of spare equipment to replace the stolen ones. Quite frankly, I see this as a non-issue. Every bar will have some stolen equipment every once in a while, it was an inevitability."
"Fine. I'll go ahead and order new sets of the lost equipment. I won't tolerate empty spaces in my bar."
"I believe you are overreacting, my dear friend. There's no need to throw out your old glasses, it's a waste of money when you're not even using all of them."
"Why are you insisting that this is cost prohibitive? We both know you have the funds to buy what I need millions of times over."
"I am simply suggesting that perhaps you are overreacting for now. Maybe come back to this predicament in a few weeks. Fewer glasses means fewer things to polish, in any case."
Kurogiri's voice caught in his throat for a moment, before he simply replied. "Yes, Sensei."
"Good. Now, while I'm here, Midoriya... Is our project we discussed progressing well?"
Izuku almost jumped when he was addressed. "Uh... yeah... Things are going well."
"Music to my ears. I expect you will produce some interesting results. I will leave for now. Midoriya, it is about time to return home, no?"
The boy gulped, weakly replying "Yeah." He jumped from his seat and shuffled out the door.
Tomura scoffed. "What got into him?"
"Don't worry yourself with those details, Shigaraki. He simply has some more growing to do."
It was a plainly obvious fact that Kurogiri's body did not work like most others. However, the physical differences between him and the average individual were far more than superficial. One such difference was his need to sleep: Kurogiri naturally went weeks without needing to rest. As such, he was naturally attentive and spent the extra time given to him doing... well, anything, really. When Sensei was in a much better condition, he had stolen a sleeplessness quirk and the two had spent a lot of their spare time together.
That being said, there would be a time that would eventually come where drowsiness tugged on the tips of the man's yellow glowing eyes, calling him to the creaky bed upstairs. This was one such night. A few of the villains had asked for some drinks, leaving the counter and some tables sticky with clumsily spilled alcohol. Once he had finished wiping down the mess that Shigaraki's subordinates had left behind, he lazily threw the towel in a small laundry bin in the corner behind the bar, and stretched his arms out.
"Is it finally time for you to rest?" Sensei abruptly asked.
Kurogiri lowered his arms to his side. "It appears so."
"Well, before you nod off, there's one more thing I need you to do for me."
"And what is that, Sensei?"
"I need you to take a seat in front of the bar and open a portal to Midoriya's room."
"May I ask why?" Kurogiri raised his head as he sat himself on one of the stools. It felt almost unnatural for him to be in this position.
"You may not. Now, open the portal."
Kurogiri wordlessly did as he was commanded, and opened the warp gate. It was only a few seconds until he was greeted with a sight that roused him out of his sleepiness.
Izuku had sheepishly walked out, looking down to the ground as he scratched his head nervously. He was dressed in formal attire, with the addition of a bartending vest and a poorly knotted bow tie. Without realizing it, the man had reached out to correct the boy's poor tie skills, but Sensei's stern voice rang out.
"Kurogiri, for the remainder of this event you are to remain in that seat. Do not worry about Midoriya's attire, not even I could correct this behavior. Besides, it gives him an air of 'Sprezzatura,' wouldn't you agree?"
Izuku blushed slightly, shuffling his feet. "I did try, but I guess I'll just have to live with not being able to do it. Anyways, I thought... maybe you wanted to drink? You make them all the time but I don't remember ever seeing someone make them for you, so..."
"Midoriya, you are fifteen! Have you been drinking-"
"No, he hasn't. He has been practicing with me though. Before you ask, no I didn't swallow any of the things he made, I simply tasted them to make sure they were up to your standards of quality. You'd be surprised how well he has done so far."
Izuku quickly walked behind the bar, pulling out the necessary equipment. He grabbed a shaker, vermouth, and gin from their respective locations around the bar, before pulling a vial of red liquid out from his pocket.
"Raspberry syrup," he explained. "It's homemade."
Kurogiri's eyes widened. "You're making a Clover Club?"
"Uh... yeah? I've never seen you make one but Sensei insists that you liked them a lot when he was, well... better."
Izuku poured the vial into the shaker, along with the vermouth. He reached down, grabbed a lemon slice and squeezed it, causing the juices to squirt into the container. He grabbed the gin and poured a large amount into the tin. He reached into the fridge, and pulled out a chilled coupe glass and a few cubes of ice. He set aside the glass and dropped the ice into the shaker. He closed it, shaking vigorously for a while.
He strained the liquid, threw out the ice, and poured it back into the shaker. He reached down behind the bar, and produced an egg. He cracked it on the tin, and began dripping the egg whites into the shaker while keeping the yolk inside the shell. He closed it back up, shook it once more, and poured it into the glass. The contents were poured into the glass, revealing a mahogany colored liquid with a thick layer of foam at the top.
Izuku pushed the glass towards the man, nervously scratching himself. "I know you're supposed to garnish this with something, but I ran out of raspberries while making the syrup... so I'm sorry."
Kurogiri cupped the bowl of the glass, carefully picking it up. "Well, it doesn't change the quality of the drink, so it doesn't matter that much."
Cautiously, he brought it to his mouth, tilting the cup ever so slightly as the Clover Club trickled into his mouth. It was quite sweet, but the gin and lemon juice kept it from being overbearing. He could tell from the taste that Izuku wasn't lying; it really was made with homemade raspberry syrup, and that definitely wasn't a bad thing. He downed the rest of the drink, a familiar feeling of warmth spreading in his stomach, from the combination of alcohol and the nostalgia of a drink he hadn't tasted in years.
He looked at Izuku, concluding, "That was absolutely delicious, Midoriya."
Izuku shakily bowed out of gratitude, but when he looked back up he snorted and covered his mouth, desperately trying his best to keep his giggles from escaping his lips.
Kurogiri looked around. "What are you laughing at? I don't..."
Izuku pointed to his lips. "You've... you have a white moustache, Kurogiri!" He couldn't hold it in any more, cackling like a small child as Kurogiri quickly wiped the foam from the place where his upper lip should be.
"Midoriya, it isn't polite to ridicule your patrons."
The boy snickered out an apology before pulling out a whiskey glass from the cabinet behind him. He set it down onto the bar, and dropped a sugar cube in it.
Kurogiri leaned forward. "An Old Fashioned... you know, they say it's first drink you have to master as a bartender, Midoriya."
Izuku pulled out a small bottle of Angostura bitters, popping the lid open. He froze in place.
"Something wrong?"
He looked at the bottle, then to the misty man across the countertop, then back at the bottle.
"I just realized... it smells like you." The scent of the bitters cut through the other smells of the bar, with its sharp earthy scent and a hint of citrus. It was like someone had shoved a root right under his nose. "It's... nice..." he trailed off.
"Midoriya, the drink."
"Ah!" He nearly jumped as he was broken out of his thoughts. "Sorry about that." He shook it gently, letting the liquid inside drip out and onto the sugar cube, where it was soaked up. The once white cube had been stained an orange-brown color. He poured a small amount of water into the glass.
Izuku reached down and grabbed small but thick wooden stick with a flat end. "This is called a muddler, right?"
Kurogiri nodded. Izuku gently used the muddler to crush the sugar cube, watching as it began to dissolve into the water. Izuku pulled out a bottle of bourbon from the shelf behind him, pouring it into the glass, before adding ice and stirring with an elongated bar spoon. Once he was done, he grabbed a knife and an orange, peeling off a thick slice. He twisted the peel, before dropping it into the mixture.
"Ah-" Kurogiri motioned for Izuku to stop.
"Did I do something wrong?" Izuku began recounting the steps he learned, before his thought process was interrupted by the man across the bar.
"No, actually you did everything perfectly. But would you mind dropping in a cherry in? It's my own little version I prefer."
"Sure!" Izuku chirped. He looked under the bar, finding a small jar of cherries. He dropped one in and gave it a final stir, allowing the new fruit's juices to fully incorporate into the mixture. He slid it back to Kurogiri, who took a swig.
Of course, the strong bite of the bourbon was tempered by the sweetness of the orange and cherry. The alcohol still had a small kick to it, but it was welcomed and expected. It didn't stay in the glass very long.
"Based on how quickly he downed it, I would like to think that's two for two. Why don't you finish it up with the final drink, Midoriya?"
"Yeah, okay!"
Izuku produced a tall metal cup, and set it onto the counter. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a metal straw, as well as an herb that Kurogiri immediately recognized.
Kurogiri turned around, gazing at Sensei's monitor in shock. "You told him what my favorite drink was?"
"Among other things. You'll have to forgive him for running off with your supplies, but he did need the practice."
"That was you?" He turned back to Midoriya, whose face was red and trained onto the floor.
"Strictly speaking, with his control over Obfuscate he should have been your prime suspect."
Kurogiri stared back at Izuku, silent for a moment before concluding. "I see. I'll have to apologize to the other members of the League for being too forceful."
"I'm sorry... it's just... I wanted this to be special, and I didn't know how else to get the stuff... Sensei said you wouldn't mind as long as I kept everything clean so I made sure to wash it out and polish it each time I used one of your-"
The misty man held up his hand. "That's enough, Midoriya. I accept your apology."
"Oh, okay..." He kept his eyes averted from Kurogiri. With some gentle prodding from Sensei he continued working on the drink. He dropped some mint leaves into the metal cup, taking the muddler and pressing down on the plants. The bartender watched as the boy stayed gentle with the leaves, crushing them to draw out their oils without being so rough that the bitter chlorophyll comes along for the ride. Once satisfied, he dumped the leaves out, and brought out another piece of equipment Kurogiri hadn't seen in a while; a lewis bag. Izuku dumped some ice cubes into the bag, before grabbing a metal mallet. He began to hit the bag repeatedly, crushing the ice within.
Izuku dumped the contents into the metal cup, finely crushed ice that formed a mound over the rim. Izuku pulled out the same bottle of bourbon, pouring it slowly over the ice, then grabbed some simple syrup and did the same. He shoved the straw through the mountain of ice, and after pressing down hard on the leaves, he stuck a sprig of mint into the side of the glass.
Izuku sighed in relief, before sliding the final drink to the owner of the bar.
"One Mint Julep. I hope you like it..."
Kurogiri picked up the cold Julep cup, bringing it up to his nose. He inhaled the scent of spearmint, a calm relaxing wave passing through his body as he was reintroduced to his favorite drink. He slowly brought the straw to his lips, and slowly began sipping at the mixture.
"Midoriya, words cannot describe how happy I feel. It's been quite a while since I have been able to enjoy a drink such as this... well over a decade, if I remember correctly."
Izuku grinned, his tremors subsiding as the verdict was given.
"That being said... why did you and Sensei conspire to do this for me? I am grateful, but I am just as much confused."
"Kurogiri, I am shocked. I understand it's been such a long since we've celebrated, but surely you must know what today is."
The bartender glanced at his watch, his eyes settling on the date displayed. Realization hit him like a brick thrown at his head.
"Happy Birthday, Kurogiri!" Izuku cheered. "Shigaraki was supposed to go get a cake, but I think he got bored and decided to do something else... but I still hope you enjoyed the drinks!"
"I... Midoriya... Thank you. I truly am grateful."
Izuku quickly cleaned up the rest of the used fruit and glasses, the only evidence that this had happened being the Julip cup firmly held by Kurogiri.
"Well, now that this is over, I suggest you go back home, Midoriya. It is rather late."
"Oh... yeah, you're right." Izuku dusted himself off, before exiting the bar area. "I'm glad you got to enjoy this, Kurogiri. I wanted it to be perfect."
"And it was." The man reassured.
A portal opened behind Izuku, though he hesitated before crossing. He breathed in deep, and before Kurogiri could react he ran to the bartender and threw his arms around him.
Kurogiri froze, caught off guard by the sudden affection given to him. Before he could even process what had happened, the boy let go and dashed through the portal.
Mindlessly, the man cut off his warp gate, seating himself back into his bar stool. He took another sip out of his cup.
"I must say, I knew he had warmed up to you, but I wasn't expecting him to make that display of affection quite this quickly."
Kurogiri set his drink onto the bar. "Are you the one who put him up to this?"
"Actually, I didn't even come up with the idea. It was all Midoriya's little plan, aside from my suggestion to take some of your equipment. He truly did want to make something special for you."
"I see." Kurogiri noted, before picking his drink back up, slowly sipping the cold liquid down. "If he went into bartending he would have absolutely destroyed his competition. Perhaps when he is twenty years old, I'll treat him to a Midori Sour. He would enjoy it."
A/N: WOW, it's been a while since I've updated. I'm glad you all are sticking with me on this journey. We're approaching the final arc of the story so I hope you are going to enjoy the end just as much as you enjoy the rest of it!
I know the structure of the chapter is slightly different; rather than being a series of scenes it ended up being more of a character study of Kurogiri between the past and present timelines. I hope you enjoyed this departure from the norm!
As always, thanks for reading, please comment, and go ahead and check out my blog (Auresalia on tumblr) while you are at it! Feel free to drop me a line there, I do appreciate hearing from everyone!